Weight Training Workouts for Boosting Metabolism

Have you tried all of the fad diets and diet aids under the sun to try to find the quick route to weight loss, only to end up more depressed, not to mention heavier, than you were before? Most people end up learning the hard way that there is no short cut to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. It takes time, commitment, and lots of hard graft.

There are tricks of the trade you can use as part of a healthy lifestyle to give your metabolism a boost and burn fat more quickly, however, and one of the biggest ones comes down to exercise.

Although is it true that in general just getting out there and moving is one of the best things you can do to give your metabolism a long lasting, sustained boost, not all exercise is created equal.

Build Muscle Mass

There are ways you can exercise that makes your metabolism burn up those calories even more. When youre trying to lose weight, the key to firing up your metabolism is adding weight training to your routine.

Many people, especially women, shy away from weight training because they fear getting that bulging bicep, muscle bound look. If you train in a certain way, you can end up building that shape, but you dont have to.

If you use light weights and do many reps, instead of doing fewer reps with very heavy weights, you can still build up that fat burning, metabolism boosting lean muscle without looking like getting that beefcake physique.

At Home Workouts

You dont even have to join a gym to get the weight training started. All you need is a set of light weight dumb bells that you can purchase for a few dollars at any discount store. Then, find a plan that works for you that combines sets of reps working your arms, legs, waist, shoulders, and so on.

You should aim to do between two to five sets of reps for any given activity. No need to get fancy arm curls, squats and lunges while holding your weights is all you need to get that muscle building. To keep a long, lean look, as you grow stronger, increase your sets of reps instead of increasing the weight of your dumbbells.

Better Than Cardio

Most doctors agree that this kind of workout is more valuable to you in terms of weight loss than cardiovascular activities, but that doesnt mean you should exclude cardio entirely. One way to maximize the benefits of both cardio and weight training is to combine then with circuit training.

Do a minute of weight lifting exercises, then a minute of hard cardio, and so on for twenty minutes, and you will burn more calories than if you spent two hours doing cardio alone. Plus, youll be increasing your muscle, so increasing your resting metabolic rate.

Weight loss is hard enough as it is. Give yourself every change of success by exercising smart. A well thought out exercise program can cut down the amount of time you have to spend training while increasing your weight loss benefits.